Oops! I Caught a Genie!

Chapter 1

The school bell rang, signaling the end of the final class of the day. I walked quickly out of my history class, eager to get home. It was my senior year and I was so tired of high school. It was the last day of the fall semester and a week long break was upon us. I was just about to reach the student parking lot when a familiar voice called my name.

I groaned internally, and stopped.

"Yes Liana?"

"Are you eager to get home‽ I am. Do you think you'll meet any cute guys over the break? I hope you do. I hope that I do too!" Liana babbled excitedly. Her blonde curls bouncing around her face.

"Yes, No, Good luck." I said, trying an answer all the questions in one go. Liana kept going, used to my short answers.

"So! What do you want to do over break? I want to go shopping! I need a new outfit for when we get back to school!"

Liana is my best friend, but when she got started on this topic, there was no stopping her. I just tuned her out when she was like this. It was best to smile and nod. I talked to Liana for another 5 minutes, we said goodbye and she promised to call me. I finished the walk to my small grey car and drove home.

When I arrived at my small one story house, there was a brown cardboard package about the size of a textbook on the doorstep. I picked it up and took it inside as per my mother always requested, it wasn't a heavy package. I was about to leave it for my mother on the kitchen table when I glanced at the tag on the package. It was addressed to my father, who had died when I was very little. A wave a curiosity passed over me and I took the box to my room. Once inside, I shut the door and locked it. I knew mother would probably not approve of me going through father's old things.

I removed the tape from the box very carefully, not knowing if what was inside was fragile or not. I opened the flaps and looked inside.

    A small stack of papers  sat on top of a lump at the bottom of the box. I removed the papers and found an antique gold watch at the bottom. I picked it up and held it in one hand. A piece of yellowed paper fell off of the watch. The watch was heavy, but that was probably because it was real gold or some heavier metal.

I unfolded the paper and tried to read the words on it. They weren't in English, but the letters were similar so I tried to sound them out.

"Zepli truid fliput, besgh vepi clu." Weird. I wonder what that means?

I decided that I would put it in google translate later and touched the mechanism to open the watch. It didn't open at first but after pushing it harder it opened a crack.

"Trap me in my watch and leave me there for 20 years! It's fine! It's not like I had things to do a- wait... you're not that stupid old man." A voice said from behind me.

    I whirled around to face him and stared in shock, unable to speak. A guy around my age stood in the center of my room, his clothing hung loosely from his wiry frame. He did not look pleased.

    "And here come the questions..." The young man groaned, covering his face with his hand. I couldn't see his eyes, but his spiky red hair was almost too bright to be natural.

    "Who are you and Why are you in my house!" I screeched, backing up against the wall of my room.

    "Call me Fritz. Apparently you have no idea what you're holding." He said taking his hand down and putting it on his hip. Green eyes narrowed in annoyance.

I dropped the watch instinctively. Fritz flinched as it thudded to the wooden floor.

    "Don't drop it!" Suddenly the watch was in his hand and he was putting it into the pocket of his pants that looked like they came from 1001 Arabian nights.

    "How?..." I asked

    "Why are you asking how? You're the one who opened the watch!"

    "It came in a package today, addressed to my father. I know nothing about it." I told him sharply, I was now as annoyed as he looked.

    "Let me explain in simpler terms... I owe you 1 wish for freeing me, and then I will leave you alone."

    "Tell me what 'Zepli truid fliput, besgh vepi clu' means."

    "If that's your wish, that's fine. Easy.It means- oh no."

    "What?" I asked.

    "I thought they had destroyed all of these...!"

I thought for a moment and started connecting pieces inside my head.

    "Are you... A genie?"

    Fritz flinched and made a face.

    "Ifrit. A type of Djinn."

    "Soooo... A genie?"
    "Call me a genie one more time, so help me I will..."

    "Ok Ok, you're different! So same principle right?"

    "No. We're not all bound to lamps. We're usually not bound at all. If someone comes along that know the correct incantation, they can seal us in an object until the object is opened. The goat sealed me in my own watch." Fritz explained, pacing around the room.

    "So what's the big problem? I just let you out. You're free."

    "That incantation, it binds Ifrit. Permanently. But, it's useless to normal humans. Give me that." He said, taking the paper from my hand. He turned to leave.

    "Wait!" I yelped.

Fritz froze, but didn't turn around.

    "Damn." Fritz groaned.

    "What? I was just going to ask you to leave out of the window in case my mom comes home early from work."

    "The incantation, idiot. I can't move."

    "But you said it wouldn't work for normal humans?"

    "You're obviously not normal." Fritz said and then mumbled "Normal humans aren't this thick."

    "Hey! Not nice." I whined.

    "Stating the facts here. You must have a little bit of binder's blood in you. Say, you wouldn't happen to be related to Aaron Spevil would you?"

    "He was my father..."

    "That explains it. He's the one who sealed me. Where is he? I want to wring his neck."

    "No! Even if I would tell you, he's been dead for 16 years. We still don't know how he died."

    "He kicked it? Hah. Got what was coming to him."

    "Stop it! That's my father you're talking about!"

    "He sealed Djinn for fun, to enslave."

    "But-"

    "He's dead, it doesn't matter. Here, catch." He tossed the watch at me and I caught it without difficulty.

    "Press the catch when you need me. Master." 

    "Don't call me that!" I protested, but Fritz had disappeared in a puff of red smoke.

    I flopped down on my bed with a grunt. Why was this happening?

I heard the front door open and mom called

    "Nora! I brought some takeout!"

I grinned and hurried to the kitchen. Mom and food always made my problems seem far away.